The use of platelet concentrates in transfusion medicine has become well established during the past thirty years. However, the rapid loss of platelet function during the storage period and risk of bacterial contamination has greatly complicated management of an effective inventory of platelet concentrates in blood banks. In many settings, the limited shelf life of platelet concentrates has drastically reduced their usage.
E. Klein et al., J. Pediatrics 49, 517-522 (1956), describe the preparation and administration of lyophilized platelet material to children with acute leukemia and aplastic anemia. Pain and venospasm at the site of infusion were noted. The limited effectiveness of these materials is shown in Table 2 therein. After more than thirty years, these materials have not led to a useful therapeutic treatment.
In order to make platelet transfusion therapy more manageable for blood banks, there has been considerable interest in devising means for diminishing or delaying the loss of platelet function during the storage period. One approach has been in the context of the development of plasma-free storage media. See, e.g., S. Holme, U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,460. Another approach has been to employ biochemical techniques to stabilize the platelets. See, e.g., A. Bode et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,367. While these techniques provide useful extension of shelf life, they do not provide a shelf life extended for prolonged periods of time. Finally, the preparation of platelet membrane microvesicles from, among other things, outdated platelets is described in F. Chao, U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,160.
Fixed-dried blood platelets for use in diagnostic assays are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,087 to Brinkhous et al. While such fixed-dried platelet preparations can be stored for prolonged periods of time for diagnostic purposes, they have not heretofore been provided in a form for human pharmaceutical use. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for new means of preparing blood platelet preparations having prolonged shelf lives which are suitable for administration to human patients.